Ernest Rutherford: a new Zealand legend (2)


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Colin Price NZ Science, Mathematics & Technology Teacher Fellow 2008 

Ernest Rutherford: A New Zealand legend (2) 

 

Ernest arrived at Manchester University in 1907 and within a year was awarded the 

1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "for his investigations into the disintegration of the 

elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances". He had to go to Sweden to get 

the prize that today is worth over NZ$2 million. The Nobel Prize gets its name from 

Alfred Nobel, who made his money from the invention of dynamite and in his will left 

money to be given each year to the person making the biggest contribution to Physics, 

Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Medicine. 

 

 

At Manchester Ernest worked with Hans Geiger to make a device that measures 



radioactivity, it is now called the Geiger counter. Homer Simpson, who is accident 

prone, would find one to be essential, working at the Springfield Nuclear Power plant. 

Ernest and a team of workers used radioactivity to probe what atoms were made of. 

 

In 1911 he proposed his model of the atom. He stated that most of it was empty space 



and there was a small, dense nucleus in the middle made of positive charge. This was 

Rutherford’s second great finding and a scientist (Neils Bohr) developed it further and 

was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. 

 

By now Ernest was showing himself to be a leader of scientists. He would encourage 



them in their experiments and make suggestions to them. Ernest did not seek to be 

first in everything. Many of the discoveries others made were because of Ernest’s 

help, but he did not bother to put his name down on their experiment paper. 

 

 



 

 

When World War One started in 1914 Ernest had to spend a lot of time away from the 



laboratory. He did research on how to detect submarines. This was important as 

submarines were sinking a lot of ships causing much loss of life and supplies. He 



Colin Price NZ Science, Mathematics & Technology Teacher Fellow 2008 

developed a hydrophone and suggested a sonar type device that could detect reflected 

waves. Today sonar is used to detect where fish and underwater objects are. 

 

Ernest’s third great discovery took place in 1917 when he bombarded nitrogen with 



alpha particles produced hydrogen and oxygen. For centuries people had tried to 

change other types of atoms into gold, without success. These people were called 

alchemists. Ernest became the world’s first alchemist, by splitting the atom and 

changing it into another type of atom!  

 

In the 1919 Ernest returned to the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University and 



was in charge till his death. The laboratory became a world leader in nuclear research 

and no less than six of his students were awarded Nobel Prizes. One of them, a 

Russian called (Peter) Kapitza made up the nick name “crocodile” for Ernest. 

 

 



 

 

 



Ernest also spoke out about issues he was concerned about. On his last visit to New 

Zealand in 1925 he said it was important to keep our beautiful scenery preserved. He 

also said that New Zealand needed a science organisation to help farming and 

industry. From that the DSIR was founded. 

 

In 1931 he was given the title Ernest Lord Rutherford of Nelson. He headed an 



organisation to help Jewish academics fleeing Germany when Hitler came to power. 

He promoted the good uses of science such as using radioactivity to treat cancer, 

doing research to beat tropical diseases and improving a country’s living standards. 

He was against using planes to bomb cities and hoped a way of using nuclear energy 

would not found till people lived at peace. 

 

Ernest Rutherford died on October the 19



th 

1937, aged 66 years. His fellow scientists 

saw him as a great scientist, in the tradition of Newton and Faraday. Ernest is 

remembered in New Zealand on our $100 note, in building names at Canterbury 

University, Rutherford’s Den in Christchurch and a memorial at his birth place.  

 

 



 

  


Colin Price NZ Science, Mathematics & Technology Teacher Fellow 2008 

Ernest Rutherford: A New Zealand legend (2)  Questions 

 

Question 1 

What award did Ernest receive in 1908? 

 

 



 

Question 2 

Where did the Nobel Prize money come from? 

 

 



 

Question 3 

Which two fields could he have been awarded a Nobel Prize? 

 

 



 

Question 4 

What use would a Geiger counter be for Homer Simpson? 

 

 



 

Question 5 

What was the first big discovery of Ernest’s? 

 

 



 

Question 6 

What was the second big discovery of Ernest’s? 

  

 



 

Question 7 

What does the fact that most of α (alpha) particles went straight 

through the gold foil tell us. 

 

 

  



Question 8 

Give an example of Ernest being a leader. 

 

 

 



Question 9 

Give an example that shows that Ernest was not just interested in 

being first all the time. 

 

 



 

Question 10 

What was a war use made of Ernest’s work? 

 

 



 

Question 11 

What use does his World War 1 work have today? 

 

 



 

 


Colin Price NZ Science, Mathematics & Technology Teacher Fellow 2008 

Question 12 

What was the third big discovery of Ernest’s? 

 

 



 

Question 13 

What does an alchemist try to do and why? 

 

 



 

Question 14 

How do we know the Cavendish Laboratory was so successful? 

 

 



 

Question 15 

What animal is known for a stiff neck and going straight for its 

target? 


 

 

Question 16 



Give the short form of Department of Scientific and Industrial 

Research. 

 

 

Question 17 



Give an example of Ernest helping people in trouble. 

 

 



 

Question 18 

List 2 examples of how Ernest thought science could help people. 

 

 



 

Question 19 

Show working and calculate the year Ernest was born. 

 

 



 

Question 20 

Where would you expect to find Ernest’s memorial to be sited? 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



Colin Price NZ Science, Mathematics & Technology Teacher Fellow 2008 

Ernest Rutherford: A New Zealand legend (2)  Questions 

 

Question 1 

What award did Ernest receive in 1908? 

 

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 

 

Question 2 



Where did the Nobel Prize money come from? 

 

Alfred Nobel’s money from inventing dynamite 

 

Question 3 



Which two fields could he have been awarded a Nobel Prize? 

 

Chemistry or Physics 

 

Question 4 



What use would a Geiger counter be for Homer Simpson? 

 

Measure radioactivity at the Springfield nuclear plant 

 

Question 5 



What was the first big discovery of Ernest’s? 

 

Elements can disintegrate 

 

Question 6 



What was the second big discovery of Ernest’s? 

His model of the atom (it was mostly empty space, with a positive 

nucleus in centre) 

 

 



Question 7 

What does the fact that most of α (alpha) particles went straight 

through the gold foil tell us. 

 

Most of an atom is empty space 

  

Question 8 



Give an example of Ernest being a leader. 

 

Encouraging other scientists / making suggestions to them 

 

Question 9 



Give an example that shows that Ernest was not just interested in 

being first all the time. 



He did not put his name down on other’s experiments, even 

though he had helped 

 

Question 10 



What was a war use made of Ernest’s work? 

 

Detecting submarines 

 

Question 11 



What use does his World War 1 work have today? 

 

Finding fish / detecting underwater objects 

 


Colin Price NZ Science, Mathematics & Technology Teacher Fellow 2008 

Question 12 

What was the third big discovery of Ernest’s? 

 

Atoms could be split and changed into other types of atoms 

 

Question 13 



What does an alchemist try to do and why? 

 

Make gold from other types of atoms, to get rich 

 

Question 14 



How do we know the Cavendish Laboratory was so successful? 

 

Produced 6 Nobel Prizes 

 

Question 15 



What animal is known for a stiff neck and going straight for its 

target? 


Crocodile 

 

Question 16 



Give the short form of Department of Scientific and Industrial 

Research. 



DSIR 

 

Question 17 



Give an example of Ernest helping people in trouble. 

 

Helped academic refugees fleeing from Hitler 

 

Question 18 



List 2 examples of how Ernest thought science could help people. 

 

Treating cancer / fight disease / improve living standards 

 

Question 19 



Show working and calculate the year Ernest was born. 

 

1937 – 66 = 1871 

 

Question 20 



Where would you expect to find Ernest’s memorial to be sited? 

 

At Brightwater / Near Nelson 

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



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